Testimonials

Laura Pirott

Spanish Professor
Solano Community College

Fairfield, CA

Practicing a profession successfully and being able to teach the principles and techniques behind it require two very different skill sets. It is rare to find an individual who can excel at both. Gloria Rivera can do both seamlessly and competently--with the added benefit that she has trained and worked as a medical doctor, so she possesses an unequaled depth of understanding of the healthcare system from multidimensional and multilingual points of view.

I had the great fortune of having her as my instructor during the 2014 Medical Interpreter Training Institute in Tucson, Arizona. As an educator myself, wanting to implement courses in interpretation and translation at the institution where I teach, I was delighted to experience Dr. Rivera's high calibre of teaching. One of her many strenghts was her ability to break down anatomy and physiology so that we, as lay people, could understand the physiological process and, thereby, better recall related vocabulary in both English and Spanish. She was patient, generous, funny, and kind while instructing us. I remember the MITI training with gratitude and fondness--I highly recommend it; Gloria was fantastic!

Tram Bui, CHI-Vietnamese

Certified Healthcare Interpreter
ATI Interim Vice President

Phoenix, AZ

I just finished watching Blue Urpi's webinar, “Get to know: Your Spine”. I thought it was very informative, easy to understand, and relevant for medical interpreters. I appreciate the way Gloria broke the categories down to causes, diagnosis, tests, and treatments. This facilitates linear learning as well as mimics to some extent the medical experience of patients and thusly interpreters as we do our work.

Gloria did a great job adding pictures and diagrams to go along with thecontent for the Visual Learners. The diagram of the dermatones conditions and how it correlates to each of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccyx vertebrae column was very interesting to me. Kudos! I need to update my musculoskeletal system and spinal glossary both in English and Vietnamese now. Look forward to your next BlueUrpi medical webinar. You ROCK!!

Danielle Kopasz, CHI-Spanish

As a medical interpreter for 10 years and the owner/trainer of a medical interpreting agency I have participated in hundreds of hours of ENG<>SPA medical interpreting continuing education classes and conferences. I must say that Gloria's 2-hour webinar 'Get to know - La columna vertebral' is top notch. Since she is both a doctor and an interpreter, I had complete confidence in her teaching which was supported by helpful bilingual graphics, useful interpreting tips, cultural comments on usage of specific terms in other countries, invaluable oral practice with instant feedback, and the renowned research of Navarro's medical terms. It was fantastically useful to hear Gloria's teaching in Spanish while seeing/reading her graphics in English and/or English and Spanish. I can't wait until her next course - for my own ongoing study/review and the training/review of my interpreting team.

Arturo Bobea

As interpreters and translators, it's our duty to keep the mind sharp and in a constant learning process. I have been an interpreter/translator for over 10 years, but when I participate in a webinar with Gloria, it feels like I'm training for the first time. Gloria is the kind of instructor you would hope for: she makes learning fun, interactive and useful. I feel like I have better tools for my complicated interpreting encounters, thanks to someone who has the knowledge and experience, who is also willing to share.

I can only compare my webinar experience to either giving someone a fish or teaching them how to catch their own. Blue Urpi is helping me be a better fisherman by highlighting and sharpening the important skills to have on the field, which better prepares me to help our people.

Shalom Salomon, FCCI, CA Admin Interpreter

On July 16, 2016 I attended a webinar by Dr. Gloria Rivera to which I was cordially invited. In all honesty, this was my first webinar ever, and I signed up expecting to pay for a class that would benefit me in my professional growth to better serve my fellow beings. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was free of charge, as I would have expected to pay for such worthwhile experience. Over the past 20 years in my professional career as an interpreter, I have attended many seminars. I must confess that this webinar conducted by Dr. Rivera was so enlightening and enriching. Why? Hardly ever any individual in our profession would address the different important aspects she covered in her webinar.In the court system we have what’s referred to as Court Decorum, which very few individuals understand.Part of that decorum is dressing appropriately for the place, circumstances and duty to be discharged. Another important aspect is how one would conduct oneself during the process; i.e. language usage, manners, understanding one’s surroundings, being respectful towards others, and maintaining some degree of solemnity without going overboard.It was enjoyable to observe how she provided a broad explanation in answering every question posed to her, without hesitation. Her command of the English Language is impressive, and I am not planning to miss any seminar or webinar she may consider holding in the near future.

Rita Colantropo, M.Ed.

EN/ES Translator and Interpreter

Las Vegas, NV

Gloria Rivera is a wonderful person, a great instructor and a happy individual who instills confidence in her students. Her casual demeanor makes learning easy and stress free. Her preparation is excellent and her delivery is seamless.

I wish all teachers where as amazing as she is. Learning would be so much fun...as it should be.

Martina Horton

It was a pleasure having Gloria as an instructor this past semester while attending an online course for medical interpreters with the University of Arizona. Gloria is an outstanding instructor. She is dynamic, passionate and knowledgeable about her subject. Her sessions were engaging, fun and well paced. What I appreciated most about Gloria was the individualized attention and accessibility to clarify concepts or questions that arise. Thanks to her positive feedback and comments, I was able to continue to grow professionally and gain confidence to become an interpreter in the medical field.

I highly recommend Gloria’s sessions and look forward to taking more classes with her in the future.

Melissa Kamenjarin

EN/ES Translator, Editor and Proofreader

Ventura County, CA

Gloria is both an informative and fun instructor, a rare combination. She wants her students to understand the reasons behind what she teaches them. In her course on understanding pain, she explained why certain types of pain feel the way they do and even the reasons that some diseases manifest themselves in different ways. When students understand why the human body works the way it does, they are better able to retain and explain this information. To keep the class interesting, she included humor and real-life examples from her medical background. Before working in the United States, she trained as a doctor in her native Peru. She has extensive medical knowledge and expertise, as well as an in-depth knowledge of both Latino and American culture. Gloria applies this biculturalism to her courses to explain the ways that some patients of different backgrounds may present themselves in a medical setting and how to best serve them as an interpreter.

Rachel Albin

Des Moines, IA

I enjoyed this class because it helped me understand how other interpreters handle medical appointments from a technical point of view and also taking into account practicalities. This class reinforced best practices for sight translation and consecutive interpretation. I learned a lot of high-frequency vocabulary, including some tricky terms. I will go into the next medical appointment better prepared and feeling more confident. The instructor’s depth of knowledge is clear. She keeps things light and keeps students on track, covering lots of territory without class feeling overwhelming.

Amy Shrock

EN/ES Court Certified and Medical Interpreter

Richmond, Indiana

Gloria was a great presenter! Her knowledge and training as a doctor contributes greatly to her ability to teach a medical workshop. She is able to explain the nuances in the use of different terms in Spanish and English to help interpreters understand the best option for certain circumstances. She is also able to explain the body’s processes and physiology in a simple and clear way, thus helping interpreters without a medical background understand the concepts. I have learned a lot and enjoyed her webinars. I hope they help me to pass the certification exam!

Myra Gastelum

Ajo, AZ

I had a class with Gloria Rivera last year in May, 2015. I really enjoyed her class. She is very thorough, takes the time to show us exactly how the words are pronounced and used in a sentence. It was a little hard for me because the language we use in Ajo, AZ, a very small town, is very different than what was taught, but she told me to keep watching Spanish programs over and over again to get the correct meaning of the words. I have been doing that and I am learning a lot more each day.

She is very pleasant and she knows what she is doing. Very excellent and very experienced, being a doctor and an interpreter, whether it be in hospitals or doctor's offices. I really learned a lot from her. She is very funny and keeps you on your toes!

Lee Ana Trujillo-Lopez, CCI, FCI

EN/ES Certified Court InterpreterUS Federal Court Interpreter

Centennial, CO

I just attended the 2016 Medical Interpreting webinar offered by the National Center for Interpretation. I really enjoyed it. This was an interactive webinar covering different topics including ethics, anatomy, diseases, etc. Dr. Gloria Rivera is an excellent teacher who did a fantastic job. She also gave us great suggestions and guidelines on how to improve ourselves. There was a lot of interactive practice between the teachers and students along with materials and tips for self-study. I recommend anyone interested in taking the medical interpreting test to take this workshop.

Lauren Weinand

MD Candidate, Class of 2018The University of Arizona College of Medicine

Tucson, AZ

Finding the right Spanish medical interpretation certification course can be daunting. But Gloria guides you confidently and comprehensively through the material. Her presentations and practice resources provide you with a strong foundation for your oral (simultaneous & consecutive interpretation) and written certification exams. Gloria's teaching style is fun and also experienced as an MD herself, and her honest and demanding feedback prepare you well for success. I highly recommend this enjoyable and worthwhile course.

Tere Gutierrez

EN/ES Interpreter

Gloria, I really enjoyed your webinar. It was informative, had good content and was interesting. I really appreciate all of the real world comments and suggestions, you provided. I also liked the vocabulary that you provided. It was well worth the fee that I paid. I am looking forward to your next webinar.

Ursula Carver

EN/ES Translator and Interpreter

Oceanside, CA

Gloria is a really dedicated teacher, who takes the time to ensure her students actually understand the material being taught. I recently took a few of her online classes and have learned so much from her. I was able to better retain concepts like terminology, background information, etc. because she includes humor and relevant real life examples, making it easier to recall them later. Her interactive approach to teaching combined with her professional background make her classes engaging and truly beneficial.

Esther Russell

Tucson, AZ

I took Gloria Rivera’s online course this spring and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Gloria dominates both languages fluently and because she is a doctor is thoroughly versed in Medical terminology and how to apply it. Her evaluations were detailed and very helpful. Her power point presentations were very organized and she responded promptly whenever there was a question

Gloria went out of her way to be available and was very positive and constructive in her critiques. I would highly recommend her course.

Annette Bewley

EN/ES Medical Interpreter

San Diego, CA

It is with outmost pleasure that I recommend Gloria M. Rivera’s classes/lectures. I have attended her ATISDA class and her private instructional classes. Gloria not only is knowledgeable in the field of medicine and medical interpretation in Spanish/English, but she has a way of explaining in detail manner, and her presentation is fun. Gloria is thoroughly bi-lingual and her many accreditations are testament to her capabilities.

I will continue to attend any of her classes/lectures, I know that she will guide me well.

Rebecca Colagreco

EN/ES Interpreter

Philadelphia, PA

I loved taking the online course with Gloria. I had even been running a few minutes late, and was worried I would not get a lot out of the class at first. It was a fantastic review and a great resource for someone trying to break into the interpreting and translating world. I learned more in those few hours then I could have in any college credit class. I have been a Spanish teacher for 20 years, and some of the terminology is not something you find in a typical textbook. Having an experienced, native speaker explain the intricate terminology was invaluable. I look forward to more more with the University of Arizona and with Gloria!